


More Beautiful for Having Been Broken

by sachatalia



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Canon Compliant, Coda, M/M, Post 5x07-The Barbecue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 03:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21451534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sachatalia/pseuds/sachatalia
Summary: Set immediately after Patrick leaves David's room in 'The Barbecue'. Patrick talks to Rachel and gets stuck on something David said.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 10
Kudos: 197





	More Beautiful for Having Been Broken

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into Schitt's Creek fic. I have another on the way.

Patrick closed the door to room seven behind him and paused, leaning back against the door jam and closing his eyes. This was not how he imagined this going. He knew he'd have to tell David about Rachel eventually given how serious he was about this relationship. He'd expected to do it in his own time though. He had a plan. It involved him making David a nice dinner with a nicer bottle of wine. He had a speech, it started with the story of Rachel and him and ended with him telling David that what he thought was love with Rachel was barely a drop in the proverbial ocean of the love he felt for David. But then Rachel had turned up in Schitt's Creek, walking arm in arm with Alexis, right in the middle of a Rose family barbecue, standing opposite the table with a look of shock. Where she probably still was. 

Shit. 

Patrick opened his eyes and pushed off the wall just a Stevie rounded the corner with a plate full of food. 

"You guys okay?" Stevie asked, even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer. 

Patrick shrugged his shoulders in reply, looking lost. 

"I brought you guys a plate."

"Take it in to him, I've got some other things I have to do and I'm suddenly not that hungry anymore." Patrick paused and placed a hand on Stevie's arm. "Take care of him for me."

"I will." Stevie said, and then in a rare moment of sincerity, "Patrick? You two will make it past this."

"I hope so." Patrick's response was a quiet and prayer-like as he sighed and walked around to where David's family still sat, whispering loudly. They fell silent when they caught sight of him. Subtlety was not the Roses' strong suite. 

"Where did Rachel go?" Patrick asked, noting the lack of her familiar red hair. 

"Room nine." Johnny pointed back to the direction Patrick had just come from.

"Thanks."

Patrick stood outside the door to room nine, took a deep breath and rapped his knuckles against the wood swiftly three times. Rachel pulled open the door and stood back, extending her arm into the motel room, inviting Patrick in. She closed the door behind him. 

"Rachel I... What... Why are you here?"

"You hadn't replied to any of my messages." Rachel sat on the bed and Patrick fell into a chair, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Rachel, there wasn't anything in those messages to reply to. They were jumbled letters and half-hearted excuses about your phone being unlocked in your purse. I left. I told you that I wanted to be friends eventually but that I need time and space first." He looked up at his ex-fiance, frustrated and sad.

"I know but I've given you six months of space Patrick. We've never not talked for that long. You've been in my life for 15 years and suddenly you were gone. I miss you. Not even in a romantic way necessarily but just in general." Rachel shrugged her shoulders and picked a spot on the ground to stare at. 

"So why didn't you just text that? Why did it have to be some big ploy?"

"I don't know Patrick. I guess it's just always worked before. I get lonely, you get lonely and we fall back together. But I guess you haven't been all that lonely these past six months?"

"No, I haven't."

Rachel nodded and a tear rolled down her cheek. 

"Was it because I..."

"It has nothing to do with you, with us." Patrick interrupted before she could finisher her question. "I just, I didn't know what wasn't right, that I wasn't..."

"Into me?"

"Into women." Patrick clarified. "There were signs growing up that I missed that seem so obvious looking back now. Maybe I didn't want to see them. Loving you was easy, too easy. It never hurt to be away from you. My love for you was steady and unintimidating. It was never explosive in my chest, overwhelming and uncontainable. I'm sorry. That sounds so harsh and cold but, I didn't know that was how it was supposed to be."

Rachel looked up at Patrick, her red eyes making contact with his, full of unshed tears.

"But you feel that now? You feel that for..."

"David. Yeah, yeah I do." Patrick confirmed solemnly. 

"I'm sorry for the texts and coming and looking for you. I would've never if I knew."

"I'm sorry." Patrick replied, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you why I was leaving. I'm sorry I let us go on so long. It wasn't fair to you. To either of us but especially you."

Patrick stood from his chair and joined Rachel on the bed. He put his large hand over her smaller ones. He'd forgotten how different it felt to hold a hand so much smaller than his own. 

"Rachel, I really hope you can forgive me. And I hope you find someone who can love you fully, the way you deserve to be loved. I hope you find someone to love you hard."

"The way you love David."

"The way I love David." They sat their together for another few minutes in silence, Rachel letting a few stray tears fall down her cheeks. Patrick didn't begrudge her those tears. It was hard when you realised it was it, that it was all finally over between you and someone you loved. 

"I'm sorry if I've stuffed things up between you and him."

"We'll be okay. It's my fault for not telling him about us sooner." Patrick put his arm around Rachel and hugged her, placed a friendly kiss on her hairline. "If you ever want to talk, I'm always here. I meant it when I said I wanted to be friends."

"Thanks Patrick. When you come home to see your parents, call me. I'd love to get to know the man who won your heart." She finally smiled at him despite her tears. 

"Speaking of my parents, could you maybe not..."

"You should tell them. All they want is for you to be happy, it doesn't matter to them who that's with."

"I know, I just..."

"It's okay. Tell them when you're ready. Til then, your secret is safe with me."

Rachel and Patrick hugged once more, a goodbye hug, and then Patrick stood and left. 

When Patrick emerged from room nine, it was dusk. He could hear Moira, Johnny, and Alexis talking at the picnic table beside the motel. He couldn't face them right now. On his way to his car he paused outside room seven, willing the door to open. He took a breath, the tears welling in his eyes. He'd just passed the door when it did open. Patrick spun immediately around and found Stevie there again.

"How is he? Should I go talk to him?"

Stevie reached for his arm, stopping him from reaching for the door.

"I think he just needs some time Patrick. He'll be okay. I'll check in on him."

"Stevie, I don't want to lose him." One of the tears escaped his control and rolled down his cheek. 

"I know. You're the best thing that's ever happened to him and he knows it. He just needs to process."

"Okay, I guess I'll go home then. Thank-you Stevie."

"This is a one time deal Patrick and I expect to be paid handsomely for taking care of your boyfriend."

Patrick smiled sadly and nodded. 

* * *

Damaged goods. That was how David had referred to himself. Damaged goods, like his smile didn't light up Patrick's life, like his touch didn't linger on Patrick's skin every time they brushed past each other in the store, like he didn't know how easily he had saved Patrick form himself.

Damaged goods. 

Patrick knew David had baggage, that over the course of his life he'd been let down by everyone, past relationships, friends, even his own family. It truly baffled Patrick how David still had capacity to love, even those who had hurt him. He hoped that applied to him as well.

He'd seen first hand David's unwavering love for his family, despite everything. He may seem like a sarcastic asshole on the surface but it took very little digging to chip away that harsh exterior and reveal the man David truly was. 

Damaged goods. Patrick hadn't realised how much he hated that term until he'd heard the words leave David's lips. Damaged goods implied irreparable. That wasn't David, he wasn't a man damaged beyond repair. He had been hurt, chipped and cracked but each of those scars had healed over, making him into the man Patrick loved, even if he had yet to say those words to David himself. He was like one of those bowls, the ones Rachel had seen on Facebook years ago and become obsessed with, telling Patrick how deep and beautiful they were. Patrick hadn't really seen what the fuss was about at the time. It was a bowl with a crack that had been repaired with silver. It was okay but it was still just a broken bowl. Now Patrick was starting to appreciate the meaning behind them.

He got online and ordered a bunch of flowers to be delivered to the Motel. He needed David to know that he wasn't broken, that they were repairable. 

* * *

On their fifth monthiversary David walked into the store to open and found a beautifully wrapped box on the counter. David had offered to open the store this morning, an olive branch and monthiversary present for Patrick all in one. 

David carefully pulled the paper off the box and a card fluttered to the floor. He bent down to pick it up. In Patrick's chicken scrawl on the back it said,

'This reminded me of you. Damaged, but repaired, infinitely more beautiful for having been broken.' - P

David lifted the lid of the box and revealed an immaculately crafted Kintsugi bowl, black and white and repaired with liquid gold. 


End file.
